


An Unlikely Duo

by thenotso_ultiwrit



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2020-11-23 09:30:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenotso_ultiwrit/pseuds/thenotso_ultiwrit
Summary: In an accidental encounter while catching the Beagle Boys robbing the docks, Darkwing Duck and Gizmoduck are now working together to unravel an even bigger case, while also finding out more about a mysterious crime fighter who had also been at the docks.





	1. Prologue: Phantom of the Docks

**Author's Note:**

> I should mention that when I first started this, I hadn't seen moonvasion yet, so this is basically how I wrote for Darkwing Duck and Gizmoduck to meet. I changed it slightly to make it work.

It was a starry night in Duckburg, not a single cloud to block the full moon. The docks were almost quiet, not even a cricket daring to break the silence. It didn’t stop the Beagle Boys, however, from doing their work.

Big Time walked through the containers on a freighter, seeming to look for a specific one while Burger was operating the crane to sort through them. Bouncer was busy locking up the unconscious guards in charge of the ship’s cargo. Big Time sighed, getting tired of looking through a bunch of giant metal boxes, when he saw what he was looking for. It was a standard shipping container, save for the insignia of a bull’s skull painted on the side.

“Burger, this one!” he shouted, pointing at the cargo. The crane dropped, grabbing the container, lowering it onto the truck.

“Hey, uh, Big Time?” Bouncer said, joining him after locking up the crew, “This isn’t our usual work. Why are we stealing this?”

“Because Ma told us to.” He answered, as though that should explain everything. “All I know is someone hired her to pick this up and bring it to them. And they paid well.”

“Shouldn’t we at least open it to see what it is?” He asked, curious what was in the box. Unbeknownst to the Beagle Boys, there was another intruder on the docks, lurking in the shadows watching their every move. He’d heard that the Beagle Boys had been spotted on the way to the docks and followed them there. Deciding on the best course of action, he waited in the shadows, listening for any more information he could get. Big Time did try to open it, but it seemed to have a high-tech lock to keep them out.

“We should just bring it to Ma so we can get paid.” Burger had joined them after dropping the container onto the back of the truck. Their spy had planned to sneak onto the top of the truck as soon as the three were in it, but that plan was thwarted.

“Hold it, evildoers!” a deepened voice called, stopping the criminals in their tracks. Turning back, a metal titan of a duck had landed in front of them. “In the name of justice, abandon that cargo.”

“Gizmoduck!” Big Time said with disdain. The figure who had been watching suddenly grew irritated, watching Gizmoduck appear from nowhere and thwarting the criminals that he was planning to stop. He jumped down from the higher level he stood on, facing the towering metal-clad superhero.

“No, no, no, no! I was here first!” he shouted to the duck towering above him. Gizmoduck looked to the spy, now revealed to be a duck with a grey fedora and purple attire including a cape.

“Nice hat.” He complimented, smiling at the newcomer. Darkwing almost got insulted by the fact that he didn’t recognize him from the invasion but decided to let it go, seeing as nobody but Launchpad remembered him being there. “Are you here to assist me?”

“Assist you?” he repeated disgustedly, “Of course not! I am the terror that flaps I the night! I am the winged scourge that pecks at-” Darkwing Duck was interrupted by a blueberry pie, being flung in his face. Too shocked to react, he looked at the Beagle Boys, who hurriedly pointed at Gizmoduck. “What was that for?!”

“Well you said you’re not helping me, you called yourself a terror and a scourge, so I assumed you were a villain.”

“It’s my opening line. I say it to intimidate the bad guys!”

“Oh, of course! Psychological warfare.” Gizmoduck replied, slamming a fist into his hand, understanding what he meant. “Maybe I should do that too.” While the two were arguing, Big Time looked around and saw a shipping container open nearby. He nudged Bouncer and Burger and pointed to it, making a push gesture. The two nodded, understanding what he wanted. He quietly gave a hand signal, counting down from three. Once it was done, the brothers altogether pushed Gizmoduck and Darkwing Duck into the open container, before closing the doors and locking them in.

“Darn it!” Darkwing shouted, pointing at Gizmoduck, “Now look what you’ve done!”

“What I’ve done?” Gizmoduck said incredulously. “You were interfering while I was apprehending those crooks.”

“No, you meddlesome masked moron, _I _was investigating them.” He argued. “They’re working for someone. I was going to follow them to figure out who and catch _that_ guy! Now they’re going to get away while we’re locked in here!”

“If it makes you feel any better, that won’t a be a problem for you much longer.” Bouncer’s voice said from outside the crate. “We’re going to drop you in the water so you can’t bother us no more.” This made the ducks panic.

“Quick, blast the doors open, Gizmo!” Darkwing Duck ordered, pointing at the exit.

“I can’t!” he argued. “The explosion will still be contained inward and blow you up too!”

“Then fly and lift the box!” he ordered, filling with terror.

“It still won’t work. If I flew upward lifting the box, the downward force from my propeller will push down on the crate.” He didn’t want to mention how the pressure from the force needed to lift both him and the container could still crush Darkwing.

“Can’t you do anything?!” Darkwing was losing all reason. He was going to be drowned soon and there’s nothing he can do about it. They felt the container be lifted, before suddenly being dropped two feet, making them lose their balance. They could hear the Beagle Boys’ voices outside.

“What was that?”

“Where did he go?”

“Bouncer, leave the geeks in the box, we gotta go! Burger, start the truck!” They heard some bumps and crashes outside before hearing an engine start and drive away. The two readied themselves, unsure what to see outside the exit, which they’d heard open. Cautiously, they walked out through the doors and noticed the Beagle Boys were gone. Nobody was out there. They looked around, but there wasn’t a single clue to what happened. Regardless, the Beagle Boys were gone, angering both superheroes at the failure.

“You let the Beagle Boys get away!” Gizmoduck accused, pointing at Darkwing Duck, who seemed indignant at the accusation.

“I did what?!” he yelled incredulously. “I was here first! I was handling this case before you showed up.” Gizmoduck was about to rebuke that argument but was distracted by a piece of paper falling on Darkwing’s hat. Following Gizmoduck’s eyes, Darkwing Duck looked up and caught the falling paper, realizing it was a note.

“You two are terrible at this. Get better, learn to work together, because next time, I won’t be around to save you.” He read aloud. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” They looked up to find the writer of the note but whoever dropped it seemed to have vanished. Gizmoduck couldn’t even pick up a heat signature. They were gone. Vanished like a phantom.


	2. The Heroes Unite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some counseling from close friends, our two heroes decide to work together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I found it fun to write this to an extent. Just so you know, I don't have a clear idea how this will go. I know how it will end, but the middle is always hard for me to write. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Please leave comments. I always enjoy reading those.

“That bolt head didn’t even remember me!” Drake seethed, no longer in costume. He wore a purple jacket over a simple grey t-shirt. Launchpad and Dewey joined him at a diner, Launchpad because he wanted to hear about Drake’s recent escapades as a superhero, while Dewey was getting bored in the mansion. “I played just as big a role trying to stop the invasion as he did and no one remembers me.”

“That’s no biggie.” Launchpad commented, looking back on the invasion. “You helped Scrooge get into the mansion when it counted, while Gizmoduck got taken by moonlanders.”

“And no one even remembers I was there.” Drake lamented, remembering how no one seemed to even notice him. “I know I’m not doing this for recognition, but it would be nice to have someone acknowledge me.”

“Got bored at the mansion, so now I’m hanging out with a pilot and an out-of-work actor.” Dewey said aloud as he typed on his phone. “Hashtag first world problems. Hashtag let’s dewey this.”

“Did you have to bring the kid?” Drake asked, a little annoyed at being reminded of not having a new job yet. Still, it did free up a lot of his schedule to be the caped crusader he felt destined to be. Also, Launchpad told Dewey about his secret identity and he wasn’t comfortable with so many people knowing.

“He was bored and Mr. McDee told me to keep him out of trouble.” As Launchpad answered, Dewey secretly mouthed to Drake, “Other way around.” He stopped and looked at his phone when Launchpad glanced at him. Drake would question this but considering the first time he’d actually talked in length to Launchpad, the pilot broke into his trailer to lock him up, it surprisingly made sense. “Anyway, so what happened with the Beagle Boys?”

“They were stealing a shipping crate with a weird bull insignia on it. I was going to stop them, but they said they were working for someone.”

“Who was it?” Dewey asked, listening to the conversation while still looking at his phone.

“I don’t know. I was going to follow them to find out, but Gizmoduck jumped in and ruined it.”

“He might have saved your life.” Dewey commented. “Ma Beagle’s junkyard is full of Beagles, about thirty. I know you’re tough, but I don’t think you could beat them.”

“But Darkwing Duck is unstoppable.” Launchpad declared. “He’d never back down.”

“Darkwing Duck is unstoppable in an old TV show. You’re _not_ a TV character, no matter how you dress.” Dewey pointed out, briefly making eye contact. “As I said, he saved your life.”

“He couldn’t save my life yesterday. Thanks to his distraction, the Beagles almost drowned us. The only reason we’re alive is some other guy saved us. He left a note, saying I’m a terrible superhero.”

“I did watch you stand on a crate of explosives and not move while someone blew it up.” Dewey said. “No offense, but I think it would have been smarter to… not do that.”

“I got back up.” Drake said, waving it off. “Anyway, thanks to Gizmoduck, now I don’t know where to start looking for whoever the ringleader is.”

“Find a Beagle Boy and ask him. If Bigtime knows anything, he’ll talk without even thinking.”

“Brilliant, Bluey! Now how am I going to find a Beagle Boy, though?” he ignored the look of annoyance Dewey got when he was misnamed.

“We could get a look from high up in the Sun Chaser.” Launchpad suggested, trying to help.

“Or you could ask Gizmoduck.” Dewey suggested, getting a look of disgust from the superhero. “He has access to the police crime network and could get anywhere in the city in minutes.”

“I’m not asking that glitchy Gear head for help.” He seethed. “I can be a superhero without any help from him.”

“You can’t fight an army of Beagles by yourself, though, and he has help that you don’t.” Dewey pointed out.

“I don’t care!” Drake declared. “If I take his help, I’ll spend the entire time in a shadow I’d never get out of.” Dewey was about to argue, but realized he wasn’t getting anywhere. He looked to Launchpad, who seemed to have something to say.

“D.W., you’re not looking at it from the right angle.” He said, building up to his point. “I only have three words for you: superhero team up.” Dewey facepalmed, unsure what to do, until he looked at Drake, who was actually contemplating Launchpad’s words. “You each have something the other has. Gizmoduck has lots of gadgets and resources, but you have detective and stealth skills. And again, superhero team up!”

“You’re right, L.P.!” Drake agreed, suddenly hyped up about working together with Gizmoduck. “This could be my chance to get some recognition for my deeds and I can prove that I’m even better than him!”

“Is this what Huey feels like around me and Louie?” Dewey questioned, looking at Drake and Launchpad, before looking back to his phone.

“Now to figure out how to get in contact with him.” Drake said, thinking up ways to get Gizmoduck’s attention. “I could put his logo on a spotlight and see if he shows up.”

“Me and Huey set up a meeting for you on the bridge in front of the Money Bin, on top of the second archway.” Dewey said, before Drake could think of a place to find a spotlight. “Be there at seven.”

* * *

“I could’ve just used the extend-arms to push the walls apart.” Fenton said, jotting down the statement in a notebook. “But without knowing what was on the outside, that could’ve done more harm than good. Maybe using the laser to cut the locks would have worked, but that has the same problem as I could’ve hurt someone on the outside. Ooh, maybe I should equip my helmet with some form of x-ray vision.”

“Interesting idea,” Huey commented, walking into Fenton’s room with Webby behind him. “Although, it might be a good idea to have a combination of some sort. X-rays can be blocked by lead, so if you could combine it with infrared cameras, it would cover heat and bone structure. And probably a sonar wouldn’t be bad.”

“Or magnetic resonance imaging.” Fenton threw in. “It wouldn’t do much for organic structures, but at least I could see some metallic structures.” He wrote down some notes on his paper again, before turning to the kids in his lab. “What brings you two here?”

“Your mom called us and said you’ve been rambling all day about something that happened last night.” Webby answered

“Yeah, it was a terrible ten minutes.” Fenton agreed, remembering the events the day before. “It was a routine crime stopping. I saw the Beagle Boys stealing something from the docks. I went down to confront them when a guy in a purple suit jumps out from somewhere and complains about me doing that because he was there first. I guess he wants to be a superhero too. He even had a name: Darkwing Duck.”

“Darkwing Duck was there?” Mrs. Cabrera asked from the doorway. “How’s he been?”

“You know him, M’ma?” Fenton asked.

“Of course. He helped us with the invasion. You introduced yourself to him.” Fenton thought back and that did sound familiar.

“Yeah, Lena and Violet told me he disguised himself as Uncle Scrooge to act as an extra decoy.” Webby threw in.

“And Dewey told me he helped Launchpad save Uncle Scrooge’s movie studio.” Huey added, glancing at his phone.

“Well, now that was embarrassing. I’d forgotten all about him.” Fenton admitted. “No wonder he was so mad. Anyway, so he tells me that he was spying on them and letting them get away. And while we were discussing it, the Beagles pushed us into an open container and locked us in. Now I’m trying to figure out safe ways to have gotten out of it. We’re only alive because of someone else saving us and scaring off the Beagle Boys, but they took whatever they were stealing with them. Thanks to Darkwing’s incompetence, not only did they get away with it, but we almost died.”

“Fenton, I wasn’t there,” his mother started, getting his attention, “but it sounds like you were the incompetent one.” Fenton looked shocked and slightly hurt from his mother saying that. He was about to question it, but she put up a finger, silencing him. “Uno, you failed to recognize your ally. Dos, you tried to make an arrest without gathering all the information with him. Tres, you blew an undercover mission. Quatro, you let your guard down around known violent criminals. Cinco, you don’t recognize that there was someone pulling the Beagles’ strings. Pollito, if you were one of my officers, I would be chewing you out in front of everyone else.”

“But M’ma, I needed to stop them. They’d knocked out the guards and I was answering a silent alarm.”

“Were they in immediate danger?” Fenton gave a hesitant shake of his head. “And that makes seis. You didn’t know if they had hostages, since those guards could have been nearby.” Fenton was suddenly downcast, unsure how to feel. He hadn’t realized how many mistakes he’d made. “Now, you’re a good hero, and you’re always there to help people when you can, but this kind of crime requires something more…sutil. Darkwing stayed in the shadows to learn what he could before doing something. Your suit isn’t designed for that. It can break through walls, catch up with runaway vehicles in seconds, even managed to overpower a mutated billionaire. But none of that says subtle.”

“She’s right, Mr. Cabrera.” Webby pointed out. “If I ever tried sneaking around by busting through walls, my Granny would make me run a hundred stealth drills until I got it right. Maybe you might need some help from Darkwing to catch whoever’s behind this.”

“You’re right. I should reach out to him and see if we can work together.” Fenton relented, standing up. “I’ll start trying to run biometric scans across the city to find him.”

“He’ll be at the top of the second arch on the bridge to the Money Bin.” Huey said, getting everyone’s attention. “Dewey’s in a meeting with him right now and we just set it up. Is seven okay for you?” Fenton nodded. Webby looked like she’d been dying to ask a question.

“So, who saved you two?”

“I don’t actually have any palpable leads on that. Whoever it was left no trace.” Fenton recalled. “I should probably look into that after I solve this crime.” Webby’s eyes lit up, clearly excited.

“Huey!” she shouted, getting his attention. “You, me, and Dewey now have a mystery to solve! We will find this mystery Samaritan and identify him to the world!” Huey rolled his eyes, knowing Webby was just looking for an adventure. Still, he figured the project could help him earn his super sleuth badge.

* * *

Donald Duck was napping on the couch in the mansion, resting peacefully while the three rowdiest kids were out of the house. Louie was sitting next to him, watching Ottoman Empire, glad that he’d gotten Randy and Johnny back together for the show, when Huey, Dewey, and Webby all barged through the front door, waking their sleeping uncle.

“Do you kids have to be so loud?” Donald complained. “You woke me up.”

“It’s almost noon, though.” Huey pointed out. “You’re usually awake by now.”

“I was waiting for your mom to pick me up until six in the morning. Apparently, she fell asleep.” Donald had decided he needed some fresh air and asked Della to take the houseboat out to open water to cruise for a little while. She was supposed to bring him back around ten, but never came back and forgot to plug her cell phone into a charger, leaving him stranded.

“Louie, someone saved Gizmoduck and Darkwing Duck yesterday!” Webby yelled, Louie turned his head to them, acknowledging their statement. “And they vanished without a single trace. No footprints, no heat signature, no camera footage, nothing.”

“And they scared off the Beagles in seconds!” Dewey added, putting up both fists, jabbing at thin air. “He even called out Gizmoduck and Darkwing, saying they were terrible superheroes.”

“We’re going to investigate him and see if we can find anything that might pertain to the Beagle investigation.” Huey informed, “And I’m going to earn my Junior Woodchuck Super Sleuth Badge!”

“I pass.” Louie said, looking back at the TV.

“We could sell the story to the media.” Huey said, perking Louie’s interest.

“Well, there’s nothing else to do.” Louie relented, hopping down from his chair.

“You kids do that.” Donald said, walking out the front door. “I’m heading out for breakfast.”

* * *

Darkwing Duck did his best to climb to the top of the archway, which was much taller than he had expected when he first started to climb. Why the kids thought that on top of the bridge would be a good place to meet was beyond him but endured, regardless. The four-hundred-foot climb wasn’t much compared to anything else he’d endure being a superhero. Still, it’d gotten annoying to find footholds in the architecture of the structure. Once he made it to the top, he’d pulled himself across the flat surface, he sprawled out, getting a bit of rest before standing up to stretch. Looking over the edge, he’d gotten a good look around and found the city of Duckburg to be a nice view at night. He’d felt a bit of jealousy toward Gizmoduck that he’d been able to see this view every night. He dismissed the thought, reminding himself that it was generally better to be close to the ground when keeping an eye on the streets. Taking a step away from the edge, he took out his phone to look at the time.

“Seven-fifteen,” he read aloud to himself, then looked around, not seeing Gizmoduck anywhere. “He’s late! The man wears a full body Memo Seven phone and can’t even be on time.”

“This is a Memo Ten phone at least.” A voice said from below. Darkwing looked over the edge and saw his contact sitting down on a lower platform. “Got rid of the exploding defect in the first couple weeks.” The older superhero rose up to his wheel, jumping up to the highest point with Darkwing. “And I’m not late. I arrived a half-hour ago, waiting for you. You’re fifteen minutes late.”

“Well not all of us can _fly!”_ Darkwing complained, “I had to scale the side of this tower with no special equipment to help me at all.”

“There’s an access ladder over there.” Gizmo pointed out, gesturing to a trap door that Darkwing had not yet seen.

“And how would that have been dramatic?” Darkwing asked rhetorically. In truth, he had not known or even seen the ladder, but he wasn’t about to admit that to someone he’d viewed as a rival. Gizmo didn’t really believe this argument was going to get anywhere, so he just let it go. “Anyway, let’s talk about last night.”

“Agreed.” Gizmo said, facing the shorter duck. “But before that, there’s something I have to get out of the way.” Pausing, he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” This quickly took Darkwing Duck off-guard. “I should have recognized you from the invasion force. I shouldn’t have interfered with your investigation on the docks. Because I did, both our lives were put in danger and the Beagles got away.” Darkwing didn’t know how to respond. He had expected someone as stubborn as he was to be under that metal helmet but he was openly apologizing without any prompting. “Do you have anything to say?” Gizmo asked, sounding like he was expecting some type of apology as well.

“…Apology accepted.” Darkwing said, not making eye contact.

“Nothing about how your actions may have also endangered the two of us?” The purple-clad duck remained silent, making the machine-clad duck groan. “Okay, down to business. Do you have any leads on the Beagles?”

“None.” Darkwing admitted, turning to Gizmo. “That’s why I need your help. I heard you have access to the city’s police network. If we can find a Beagle in the middle of a crime, we can question them about the docks.” Gizmoduck considered the idea, weighing in any other option he could think of, and found it to be the best course of action.

“Alright, my purple-colored friend, let’s hunt for Beagles. Engage passenger gear.” Out of the back of Gizmoduck’s armor sprung a set of handlebars along with with a couple footholds and an odd glass visor. Darkwing looked at the new feature of the armor and reluctantly climbed on, still uncomfortable working with the genius in the armor. “By the way, the passenger gear hasn’t been tested yet, so wear the seatbelt.” Darkwing looked down and saw a strap at waist level and secured it around himself.

“This isn’t really a seat, by the way.” He commented.

“Not an issue.” Gizmo responded, flying off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a hard time keeping anyone in character, but I hope I did alright with it. Again, please comment. I welcome feedback.


	3. Guidance is Given

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me long enough, huh? Honestly, I feel like I don't have any good ideas for this part of the story. I had the beginning, I had the end. The in-between, I'm drawing blanks. And every time I have an idea, it doesn't come out right written out. The superhero portion of this chapter began and ended in a total of about twelve different ways. The Webby and Donald portion, I had in my head for a little while, but I'm not sure if I got that right either. It went a couple ways too, but not nearly as much as the first half.

It had been several hours since they started, stopping three muggings and a jewelry store robbery, but for the first time in a while, they hadn’t seen a Beagle Boy on any of the crimes. Gizmoduck landed on top of a building, waiting for the next alert from Gizmoduck’s helmet. Darkwing took a flask from his shirt pocket, splashing some liquid in his face before taking a drink. Noting the container and the look on Gizmoduck’s exposed face, Darkwing did the only thing he could.

“Want some water?” he offered. “A flask is the only thing that fits in my shirt pockets right. And they’re made of metal.” He rapped his knuckles on the side, showing that it made some impromptu armor.

“No thanks.” He sat down on a nearby ledge, looking over the city. He had been getting tired as well, seeing as it was almost midnight and he had to be at work in the morning. “What do you say we call it a night after the next call?”

“It might be a good idea.” Darkwing agreed. He’d still needed to find a day job. As fulfilling as he found it to be a superhero, it didn’t pay the bills. Getting up early the next day would be a good idea to do so. Just as they agreed, they’d both suddenly heard a loud explosion from below, getting their attention. Only a block away, there was a burning apartment building. Darkwing jumped onto Gizmo’s back and the two flew down to the fire. Once landed, Darkwing yelled out, “Quick! How many people are in there?!” Gizmo took a quick scan of the building, but since it was on fire, it was hard to take note of heat signatures, and miniature sounds made it even more difficult to listen for heart beats. The X rays, however, showed skeletons, all still moving.

“Six.” Gizmo reported. “Three on the first floor, two on the second floor, one on the third floor.”

“I’ll clear out the first floor. Fly to the top and get them out.” Darkwing called, taking into account that he couldn’t fly and could only handle the ground. Gizmo flew up, shooting his extendo-arm through a window and latching onto the person in the third floor.

Darkwing ran through the first floor, calling for anyone who was still inside. Luckily, one of the civilians had been able to escape on their own, leaving only two people on the first floor. Suddenly, he heard a voice from farther back.

“Help!” A young ducklings voice called. Darkwing guessed that it couldn’t have been a little girl older than ten. He’d ran into the back, telling her to stay calm. “The door’s too hot to open!”

“Get away from it!” Darkwing shouted, before he kicked open the door, revealing the little girl, shaking the older duck, who he assumed was her father.

“My dad just fell down!” the girl yelled, still trying to make her father move. Darkwing calmed the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. If the grown duck had just passed out, he likely had just asphyxiated. Getting him out of the burning house needed to be priority, so he picked up the adult and put him over his shoulder.

“Okay, I need you to stay calm.” Darkwing stated, making eye contact with the little girl. “What’s your name?”

“Alice,” she answered slowly, looking at the flames engulfing her home. “Who are you?”

“Darkwing Duck.” Under normal circumstances, he might be annoyed that she didn’t know who he was, but he knew she was only a little girl and it was still early in his career. “Darkwing for short. I’m a newer superhero.”

“Like Gizmoduck?” Alice asked, looking hopeful. This was a little more grating, but Darkwing brushed it off.

“Yeah, he’s actually here, too. Let’s get outside so you can meet him.” Alice nodded excitedly, running out the door. Before she could run too far, he grabbed her arm. “Stay close. It’s not safe in here.” He took his cape off and wrapped it around her, carefully tying it so the bottom didn’t drag behind her. “And keep this on. It’s fireproof.”

“Yes sir, Mr. Darkwing.” Alice agreed. Darkwing power walked carefully through the hall, Alice just a foot behind him. They’d made it halfway through, when a bit of the sealing had fallen down on top of them. Darkwing instinctively pushed Alice backward, getting her clear of the burning rubble, while he jumped forward. “Mr. Darkwing!” she called, scared for her savior and her father. “Mr. Darkwing, are you okay?!”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” He could barely see her through the flames, but she was still there. Carefully, he put the girl’s father down, clear of any flames. Stepping back a bit, he ran forward and jumped through the flames, keeping his burns minimal with his speed. Landing, he rolled forward. Looking at Alice who was absolutely amazed by Darkwing jumping through fire, he took off his cape and wrapped it around her. “This will protect you from the fire. Now hold on.” He picked up Alice and dashed through the flames again, this time with Alice wrapped in his cape. Once landed, he rolled on his side, keeping from crushing Alice with his arms. “Are you okay, Alice?”

“That…was…awesome!” she gushed, amazed by Darkwing’s bravery. “You didn’t even think! You just jumped through a fire. You really are a superhero.”

“Thanks, but let’s save that for when we’re not in a falling building.” Darkwing said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Yes sir, Mr. Darkwing!” she shouted, jumping to her feet with the cape still wrapped around her. Darkwing picked up the girl’s father, and the three left the building safely, where Darkwing was greeted by a crowd behind a police line. The second the two were out of the building, there were cheers from everyone and Darkwing couldn’t believe it. This was the first time he’d gotten this much recognition. Then he looked up and saw Gizmoduck, who’d brought all three of the people he’d been saving out at the same time. Then he’d heard the actual cheers. “GIZ-MO-DUCK! GIZ-MO-DUCK!” It was slightly disappointing, but he’s learned to live with it. However, he did hear something that threw him off. He’d heard a cheer different from all the others. He looked down at the source and saw Alice shouting with enthusiasm, “DARK-WING-DUCK! DARK-WING-DUCK!” It was probably one of the nicest things Darkwing had heard in a long time. For the first time, he’d gotten full recognition for his actions. Even if it was just for one little girl, he’d been a superhero today. Feeling empowered, he brought Alice’s father to a nearby EMT.

“His daughter said he suddenly fell unconscious about three minutes ago.” He told her. “I’m guessing asphyxiation, but it could be heat exhaustion too.”

“Good job, sir. We’ll take it from here.”

Darkwing had stayed next to Alice while the fire was put out, since she was beside herself with worry. Gizmoduck helped any way he could with the fire until it was fully out and only a smoking pile of rubble.

“I’m sure your father’s going to be okay.” Darkwing said, trying to comfort the little girl.

“I know…” she agreed, but still sounding unsure. Not sure what else to say, Darkwing grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey, Gizmoduck is really smart. He’s been proving it all night. I’m sure he’ll say the same. Want to ask him?” The girl nodded, still watching the EMTs monitor her father. They’d given him an oxygen mask already and made sure his vitals were stable, which is all they could do for now. “Gizmo!” he shouted, waving over his ally. Before they could talk, they’d heard someone shout from the crowd.

“Hey, that’s the guy who started the fire!” he shouted from the front, pointing at Darkwing Duck. “I saw him in the back, pouring gasoline all over the place and lighting it.”

“I did no such thing!” Darkwing shouted indignantly.

“You did too!” he argued. “I have proof!” A nearby police officer grabbed the man’s phone and looked at it. Afterward, he glared at Darkwing as he walked over to him and Gizmo, who had now been standing next to him.

“Explain this, fake!” he ordered, showing a video someone in a purple fedora and cape, along with clothes similar to Darkwing’s. “You lit the fire, just so you could have someone to save from it.”

“I didn’t.” he denied truthfully. “I’m being framed!”

“He was with me all night.” Gizmoduck stated, vouching that Darkwing couldn’t have lit the fire. “We’ve been working a separate case together.”

“Gizmoduck was in on it too?!” came another voice from the crowd, riling up the citizens.

“This explains how he stops so many crimes. He starts them!”

“The heroes are fakes!”

“Arrest them, quick!”

The crowd was turning against them fast and nothing could be said to stop them.

“Gizmo, I think we should leave.”

“If we run, we look guilty.”

“If we stay, we’re arrested, and our secret identities will be revealed. And your mother will be put in a bind.” Gizmo didn’t like hearing when his mother was used against him but knew he didn’t mean it like that. His mother was a high-ranking detective and he, despite his intentions, was still a vigilante. If she reveals that she knew, there’d be serious consequences. As much as he didn’t want to look guilty, he knew there wasn’t much choice. Just as he was about to activate his passenger gear, a bunch of loud car alarms went off behind the crowd, silencing them all. All turning around at once, they saw a figured tied up, hanging upside down from a streetlight. Looking closer, it was revealed to be a duck, dressed nearly identical to Darkwing Duck. It was the person in the video.

Gizmo grabbed Darkwing by the back of his shirt and quickly hovered over the crowd and landed on the other side. The owners of the cars quickly turned off their own alarms.

Once his feet were on the ground, Darkwing walked up to the impersonator with Gizmoduck right behind him.

“So, any particular reason you’re dressed as me?” Darkwing asked calmly. The police officer, who had just been accusing him had made his way over and was listening to the interrogation.

“Um… imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?” he answered, sure this wouldn’t work. He glanced slightly left, away from anyone then turned his head back. “Okay, that was a lie! I disguised myself as Darkwing and lit the fire to frame him, then I was robbing the jewelry store down the street! It wasn’t part of the job, but it just seemed too easy with all the attention on the fire! But then someone stopped me, tied me up and specifically told me to tell the truth on what happened. I didn’t see his face and even if I did, he told me no matter what not to describe him. He was also very clear to make sure you two got the note taped to my back.” Flabbergasted by his rapid confession, the two understood the majority of what he said and turned him around on the rope, grabbing a folded paper taped to his back. Darkwing grabbed it and read the contents, making a scowl as he did.

“What does it say?” the officer asked, curious what was happening.

“Morons.” He answered, annoyed. “That’s all.”

“Well that’s just rude.” Gizmo commented. “There was a fire and we had to save people from it.”

“He figured you’d say that and told me to point out what he meant.” The fake Darkwing Duck interrupted, still clearly shaken by whoever caught him. “The fire’s been out for twelve minutes. And Darkwing couldn’t do anything to put it out, so even before that, he could have gone to stop me. Gizmo has access to the police network but stopped using it while handling the fire. The officer, who’s known Gizmoduck for a long time started to believe that he’d have something to do with arson.” Trying to maneuver himself back around to face the heroes, he continued. “There’s also another note for you in my pocket to give to you.” Gizmoduck cut down the fake Darkwing and handed him to the officer, but not before grabbing and reading the aforementioned note.

“Good job with all the muggings and the robbery. The Beagle Boys, however, are laying low and are hiding somewhere besides the junkyard. They won’t be resurfacing soon but stay vigilant. They won’t be able to help themselves at some point.” Gizmo grinned, happy to get some useful information. Darkwing, however, looked more than a little annoyed.

“Who does this guy think he is, acting like some big shot?” he complained. “He acts like he knows everything but he wasn’t doing anything about the fire.”

“Without him, we’d either be on our way to jail, both unmasked, or on the run.” Gizmo pointed out. “You’d be facing arson charges, no matter which of those happened. And it’s not like either of us know everything either. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some helpful advice from an older superhero.”

“You’re assuming that he’s a superhero. We don’t even know who this is. And even if he is one, why haven’t we ever heard of him?”

“Actually, there’s multiple accounts of superheroes throughout the generations. Goliath, Space Boy, even groups like the Friendly Four. No one knows what happened to them all, but they were still there.” Darkwing made a mental note to look up those names on the internet later.

“Either way, I don’t need advice from anyone else. I can be a good hero by myself.” He walked away, while Gizmoduck followed him.

“Where are you going?”

“Calling it a night. I’ve been up for several hours and it’s almost morning. I have an interview in six hours and I want to get a bit of sleep first.”

“Alright. Want to meet up again tomorrow night?” Darkwing stopped, turning around to face his partner, and smiled.

“Sure, but this time, can we meet at a random coffee shop? On ground level?”

* * *

“Webby, we’ve been at this for twenty hours straight!” Huey complained, sitting in the library that served as Webby’s room. They’d stayed up all night investigating whoever the mysterious being at the docks was. Normally, Huey would be all for a long research project, but there were absolutely no leads and they hadn’t taken any breaks. Dewey even fell asleep already, using a thick, paperback book as a pillow, while Louie looked like he wanted to join him. “I’m supposed to be meeting with Gizmoduck in a few hours to talk about his patrol with Darkwing.”

“But we’re so close!” Webby argued, pleading with the triplets to continue looking through the many library books around them. “There has to be something.”

“Webby, Gizmo didn’t find any heat signatures at the docks, didn’t see anything with night vision, and there were no traces that there was anyone even there.” Louie argued too. “I’m having a hard time believing there was really anyone there.”

“But the note!” Webby countered, one last time.

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually.” Louie continued, standing up. “They found it at the docks, but maybe it wasn’t even written then. It could’ve been left over and a note between two people who work there. It didn’t even talk about being a superhero. Or maybe whoever hired the Beagle Boys planned this and planted it. Either way, I don’t think there was anyone else at the docks.” Webby wanted to argue, but that was a good point, but she didn’t want to give up yet. Still, it was clear that the triplets were done with the project. Louie and Huey each grabbed one of Dewey’s legs and pulled him in the direction of their room to get some sleep. As soon as they were gone, Webby let out a yawn that she’d been holding in. She didn’t want to show them that she was tired as well. However, a voice from the door startled her.

“I heard that.” Donald announced, making Webby jump. Had she been more awake, she might have heard him in the hall before he’d said anything. Turning around, she saw Donald in the doorway, drinking a cup of coffee. “You know, if you aren’t rested enough, you might miss something that could be a lead.” Webby was a bit dazed still and could understand some of what he said, but a lot of it was lost on her, so Donald spoke more slowly this time. “More sleep equals better research.”

“But I can’t stop now.” Webby complained, walking over to her computer. “If I don’t find anything, I made the boys help me with twenty hours of research for nothing.” Donald was sympathetic, knowing what it felt like to do a lot of work that ended up wasted. In the many jobs he’d had, there was always that time where he cleans something, only for someone to make a mess of it soon after. Or to find out that the work wasn’t necessary in the slightest bit. So, looking over the stacks of books in front of him, he decided to make a deal.

“How about this? If I help you with a lead and maybe help you with research after, would you please get a few hours of sleep?” Webby perked up, not believing what she heard. A lead for her to work on _and_ getting to work the case with the most daring adventurer of all time just sounded too good to be true.

“Would you really do that, Donald?” she asked hopefully. When he nodded, she became super excited, jumping up and down. “Woo-hoo, I’m gonna work with Donald! I’m gonna work with-, oh! Wait,” she stopped jumping and turned to Donald, “didn’t you just start a new job?”

“I got fired. Again.” Donald informed, looking annoyed. “She said she had a peanut allergy, then asked for peanut butter ice cream. I refused to sell it to her, she called over my manager and told him to fire me. He didn’t understand me when I explained it to him, so he fired me.”

“That’s terrible!” Webby exclaimed, feeling bad for Donald.

“It’s food industry.” Donald deadpanned. Dismissing the thought, he looked over the corkboard on the wall, normally occupied by the Scrooge McDuck board. He saw various pieces of information, but none of it was connected in the slightest, although he did see a pattern: all of it was information dated five years ago or less.

“Why aren’t you going farther back than five years ago?”

“I wanted to go further back, but Dewey and Louie figured it’s been too long for anyone from before that to start crime fighting again. Either because they’re probably KIA or too old to start again.” Webby answered tiredly.

_“Well, you’re not wrong.”_ Donald thought. In all truth, he was certain that this research would turn up fruitless, but he never really spent too much time with Webby and wanted to correct that. So, he thought back to some superheroes from back then to give as counterexamples. “Well, Teamo Ultimo started about fifteen years ago. They didn’t die, but they went on a hiatus because of personal issues. They’re probably in their mid-twenties by now. And besides, one of the earliest superheroes I remember was the Masked Top hat. He was probably in his fifties.” Thinking up more ideas to add, he threw in a bit more to his, “Besides, it’s a bit presumptuous to decide this is an… old superhero.” He turned around and found Webby fast asleep, propped up on a stack of books. Sighing, he picked up the young duckling gently and carried her up the ladder to her bed. As soon as she was tucked in, he climbed back down to the library and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so the multiple ways this started was instead, they were busting a group of people parodying the Cooper Gang from the Sly series, or they would have instead been bored from an entirely crime-free night. The endings were a little more varied. There was a point of instead of rescuing a little girl, there was going to be a fight in the middle of the fire with the impostor Darkwing Duck, or the cops actually did have Darkwing on the run, flip-flopped a few times on whether or not Gizmoduck was going to believe him, and at the last minute, decided it was more in character for Darkwing to dismiss the advice from the Unknown (what I shall be calling the unnamed vigilante for now). It was a lot of coming up with ideas and then tossing them out.
> 
> Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for the next chapter, it might help me out a lot. Please comment anyway, though. I love reading those.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to make this a bigger story, but I need some feedback here and there. Don't forget to comment.


End file.
